The first Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant in the United States, operating a split identity that would collapse in less skilled hands: daytime bakery and casual Filipino breakfast counter, nighttime tasting menu that reframes Filipino cuisine through fine-dining technique. Tim Flores and Genie Kwon built Kasama from a pandemic-era bakery into a full-service phenomenon, and the pastry case alone — ube crinkle cookies, mochi muffins, longanisa sausage rolls — justifies the visit. The tasting menu at night applies classical technique to adobo, sinigang, and kare-kare with a precision that honours the source material rather than exoticizing it. Both formats are exceptional.
Location
Ukrainian Village, Chicago
Insider Intel
Daytime: the longanisa breakfast plate with garlic rice and a fried egg, any pastry from the case (the ube crinkle cookie is essential), and a Filipino-style iced coffee. Nighttime: the tasting menu (no choices, trust the progression), which builds from lighter preparations through rich, deeply flavoured mains. The pastry course at the end reflects Kwon's extraordinary skill. Wine pairing for the tasting menu is thoughtful and unconventional.
Weekday morning at 9am for the bakery counter without a line. Weekend brunch draws queues that start before opening. The evening tasting menu books via Tock and fills weeks ahead — midweek evenings are marginally easier to reserve. The bakery items sell out; arrive early for the full selection.
Two distinct experiences: walk-in daytime bakery/counter (breakfast and lunch, no reservations) and ticketed nighttime tasting menu (reservations via Tock, prepaid). The Winchester Avenue location in Ukrainian Village is walkable from the Blue Line at Division or a short rideshare. The tasting menu runs $135-175 per person before wine and gratuity. The bakery is cash and card; the tasting menu is prepaid. One of the most important new restaurants in America, and the wait — morning or evening — reflects it.